scholarly journals Evaluating the Impact of Literature Searching Services on Patient Care Through the Use of a Quick-Assessment Tool

Author(s):  
Ashley Farrell ◽  
Jeff Mason

Objectives: To evaluate the impact of literature searching services on patient care, and to create a validated quick-assessment tool to be used by other libraries to assess their own literature searching services. Methods: All users of the Regina Qu’Appelle Health Region Health Sciences Library who requested a literature search for the purposes of patient care were emailed a link to a short survey as a preamble to search results sent using LibAnswers. A reminder was sent one week after the initial invitation. Responses were collected using FluidSurveys. Face and content validation of the survey were conducted with prospective respondents, librarians, and research support staff followed by a short pilot phase to assess reliability. Results: Fifty-four responses were received for a response rate of 57.5%. Immediate impacts of the information provided included confirming, changing, or determining a diagnosis (7.1%) or treatment plan (64.3%); avoiding adverse events (9.5%); and preventing (4.8%) or initiating (2.4%) a referral or consultation to another department. Future uses for the information provided include changing the approach to particular (27.8%) or future (55.6%) patients, sharing with colleagues (68.5%), and teaching (42.6%). Conclusions: Libraries do effect change in patient care. It is possible for hospital libraries to assess the impact a service such as literature searching has on patient care without requiring a major time investment from library users. Librarians in similar settings are encouraged to further validate and use this tool to more easily compare the impact hospital libraries have on patients.

2015 ◽  
Vol 10 (3) ◽  
pp. 108
Author(s):  
Elizabeth Margaret Stovold

A Review of: Farrell, A., Mason, J. (2014). Evaluating the Impact of Literature Searching Services on Patient Care Through the Use of a Quick-Assessment Tool. Journal of the Canadian Health Libraries Association, 35(3),116-123. doi: 10.5596/c14-030 Abstract Objective – To assess the impact of a library provided literature search service on patient care. Design – Multiple choice questionnaire survey. Setting – Hospital library. Subjects – 54 library users who had requested a literature search and indicated the primary purpose of their request was patient care. Methods – A multiple choice questionnaire survey was designed, building on previously published library impact surveys and best practice guidelines, with input from staff in the local research department. The survey was reviewed by library staff, researchers and prospective respondents and piloted. The survey was sent out with the answers to literature search requests and a small incentive was offered to those who completed the survey. The survey was followed up with reminders. Main results – The response rate was 57.5% (n=54/94). The most common staff groups requesting literature searches were physicians (33.3%), nurses (22.2%), therapists (16.7%), pharmacists (11.1%) and residents (7.4%). The majority stated that their questions had been answered (77.8%), while 18.5% indicated their questions had been partially answered, for reasons such as the answer leading to more questions, or parts of the question had not been addressed. Two (3.7%) of the respondents’ questions were not answered, either because no answer existed, or because the question didn’t contain enough detail. Of those who replied that their question had been answered, 64.3% judged the information to have had an immediate impact on patient treatment or management. Other uses of the information included refreshing memory, avoiding an adverse event, diagnosing a patient, or preventing a referral. The percentage of respondents judging there to be no immediate impact on patient care was 16.7%. The impact on diagnosis and treatment was further investigated in those who had said there had been an immediate impact, with 22.2% saying the information determined their choice of drug, 29.6% saying the information confirmed their choice of drug, while 18.5% stated the information changed their choice of drug. All respondents replied that they intended to use this information in the future, regardless of whether the information had an immediate impact, or if their question had been answered. Conclusion – The authors concluded that the survey results show hospital libraries can have an impact on patient care through a literature searching service. They also found that the library was answering its literature service users’ questions.


2010 ◽  
Vol 2 (1) ◽  
pp. 57-61 ◽  
Author(s):  
Andrew Paul DeFilippis ◽  
Ildefonso Tellez ◽  
Neil Winawer ◽  
Lorenzo Di Francesco ◽  
Kimberly D. Manning ◽  
...  

Abstract Background In 2003, the Accreditation Council for Graduate Medical Education instituted common duty hour limits, and in 2008 the Institute of Medicine recommended additional limits on continuous duty hours. Using a night-float system is an accepted approach for adhering to duty hour mandates. Objective To determine the effect of an on-site night-float attending physician on resident education and patient care. Methods Night-float residents and daytime ward residents were surveyed at the end of their rotation about the impact of an on-site night-float attending physician on education and quality of patient care. Responses were provided on a 5-point Likert scale ranging from 1, strongly agree, to 5, strongly disagree. Results Overall, 92 of the 140 distributed surveys were completed (66% response rate). Night-float residents found the night-float attending physician to be helpful with cross-cover issues (mean  =  2.00), initial history and physical examination (mean  =  1.56), choosing appropriate diagnostic tests (mean  =  1.79), developing a treatment plan (mean  =  1.74), and improving overall patient care (mean  =  1.91). Daytime ward residents were very satisfied with the quality of the admission workups (mean  =  1.78), tests and diagnostic procedures (mean  =  1.76), and initial treatment plan (mean  =  1.62) provided by the night-float service. Conclusion A night-float system that includes on-site attending physician supervision can provide a valuable opportunity for resident education and may help improve the quality of patient care.


2020 ◽  
Vol 7 (Supplement_1) ◽  
pp. S116-S116
Author(s):  
Julia Sessa ◽  
Helen Jacoby ◽  
Bruce Blain ◽  
Lisa Avery

Abstract Background Measuring antimicrobial consumption data is a foundation of antimicrobial stewardship programs. There is data to support antimicrobial scorecard utilization to improve antibiotic use in the outpatient setting. There is a lack of data on the impact of an antimicrobial scorecard for hospitalists. Our objective was to improve antibiotic prescribing amongst the hospitalist service through the development of an antimicrobial scorecard. Methods Conducted in a 451-bed teaching hospital amongst 22 full time hospitalists. The antimicrobial scorecard for 2019 was distributed in two phases. In October 2019, baseline antibiotic prescribing data (January – September 2019) was distributed. In January 2020, a second scorecard was distributed (October – December 2019) to assess the impact of the scorecard. The scorecard distributed via e-mail to physicians included: Antibiotic days of therapy/1,000 patient care days (corrected for attending census), route of antibiotic prescribing (% intravenous (IV) vs % oral (PO)) and percentage of patients prescribed piperacillin-tazobactam (PT) for greater than 3 days. Hospitalists received their data in rank order amongst their peers. Along with the antimicrobial scorecard, recommendations from the antimicrobial stewardship team were included for hospitalists to improve their antibiotic prescribing for these initiatives. Hospitalists demographics (years of practice and gender) were collected. Descriptive statistics were utilized to analyze pre and post data. Results Sixteen (16) out of 22 (73%) hospitalists improved their antibiotic prescribing from pre- to post-scorecard (χ 2(1)=3.68, p = 0.055). The median antibiotic days of therapy/1,000 patient care days decreased from 661 pre-scorecard to 618 post-scorecard (p = 0.043). The median PT use greater than 3 days also decreased significantly, from 18% pre-scorecard to 11% post-scorecard (p = 0.0025). There was no change in % of IV antibiotic prescribing and no correlation between years of experience or gender to antibiotic prescribing. Conclusion Providing antimicrobial scorecards to our hospitalist service resulted in a significant decrease in antibiotic days of therapy/1,000 patient care days and PT prescribing beyond 3 days. Disclosures All Authors: No reported disclosures


Author(s):  
Emma-Jane Goode ◽  
Eirian Thomas ◽  
Owen Landeg ◽  
Raquel Duarte-Davidson ◽  
Lisbeth Hall ◽  
...  

AbstractEvery year, numerous environmental disasters and emergencies occur across the globe with far-reaching impacts on human health and the environment. The ability to rapidly assess an environmental emergency to mitigate potential risks and impacts is paramount. However, collating the necessary evidence in the early stages of an emergency to conduct a robust risk assessment is a major challenge. This article presents a methodology developed to help assess the risks and impacts during the early stages of such incidents, primarily to support the European Union Civil Protection Mechanism but also the wider global community in the response to environmental emergencies. An online rapid risk and impact assessment tool has also been developed to promote enhanced collaboration between experts who are working remotely, considering the impact of a disaster on the environment and public health in the short, medium, and long terms. The methodology developed can support the appropriate selection of experts and assets to be deployed to affected regions to ensure that potential public health and environmental risks and impacts are mitigated whenever possible. This methodology will aid defensible decision making, communication, planning, and risk management, and presents a harmonized understanding of the associated impacts of an environmental emergency.


2020 ◽  
Vol 79 (Suppl 1) ◽  
pp. 503.1-504
Author(s):  
F. Ingegnoli ◽  
T. Schioppo ◽  
A. Herrick ◽  
A. Sulli ◽  
F. Bartoli ◽  
...  

Background:Nailfold capillaroscopy (NVC), a non-invasive technique to assess microcirculation, is increasingly being incorporated into rheumatology routine clinical practice. Currently, the degree of description of NVC methods varies amongst research studies, making interpretation and comparison between studies challenging. In this field, an unmet need is the standardization of items to be reported in research studies using NVC.Objectives:To perform a Delphi consensus on minimum reporting standards in methodology for clinical research, based on the items derived from a systematic review focused on this topic.Methods:The systematic review of the literature on NVC methodology relating to rheumatic diseases was performed according to PRISMA guidelines (PROSPERO CRD42018104660) to July 22nd2018 using MEDLINE, Embase, Scopus. Then, a three-step web-based Delphi consensus was performed in between members of the EULAR study group on microcirculation in rheumatic diseases and the Scleroderma Clinical Trials Consortium. Participants were asked to rate each item from 1 (not appropriate) to 9 (completely appropriate).Results:In total, 3491 references were retrieved in the initial search strategy, 2862 were excluded as duplicates or after title/abstract screening. 632 articles were retrieved for full paper review of which 319 fulfilled the inclusion criteria. Regarding patient preparation before the exam, data were scarce: 38% reported acclimatization, 5% to avoid caffeine and smoking, 3% to wash hands and 2% to avoid manicure. Concerning the device description: 90% reported type of instrument, 77% brand/model, 72% magnification, 46% oil use, 40% room temperature and 35% software for image analysis. As regards to examination details: 76% which fingers examined, 75% number of fingers examined, 15% operator experience, 13% reason for finger exclusion, 9% number of images, 8% quality check of the images and 3% time spent for the exam. Then, a three-round Delphi consensus on the selected items was completed by 80 participants internationally, from 31 countries located in Australia, Asia, Europe, North and South America. Some items reached the agreement at the second round (85 participants), and other items were suggested as important to consider in a future research agenda (e.g. temperature for acclimatization, the impact of smoking, allergies at the application of the oil to the nailbed, significance of pericapillary edema, methods of reporting hemorrhages, ramified and giant capillaries). The final agreement results are reported below:Conclusion:On the basis of the available literature the description of NVC methods was highly heterogeneous and individual published studies differed markedly. These practical suggestions developed using a Delphi process among international participants provide a guidance to improve and to standardize the NVC methodology in future clinical research studies.Disclosure of Interests:Francesca Ingegnoli: None declared, Tommaso Schioppo: None declared, Ariane Herrick: None declared, Alberto Sulli Grant/research support from: Laboratori Baldacci, Francesca Bartoli: None declared, Nicola Ughi: None declared, John Pauling: None declared, Maurizio Cutolo Grant/research support from: Bristol-Myers Squibb, Actelion, Celgene, Consultant of: Bristol-Myers Squibb, Speakers bureau: Sigma-Alpha, Vanessa Smith Grant/research support from: The affiliated company received grants from Research Foundation - Flanders (FWO), Belgian Fund for Scientific Research in Rheumatic diseases (FWRO), Boehringer Ingelheim Pharma GmbH & Co and Janssen-Cilag NV, Consultant of: Boehringer-Ingelheim Pharma GmbH & Co, Speakers bureau: Actelion Pharmaceuticals Ltd, Boehringer-Ingelheim Pharma GmbH & Co and UCB Biopharma Sprl


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